The Truth About Pink Marijuana

When you picture marijuana, an image of some lumpy green buds may come to mind. While green is the herb’s signature color, marijuana comes in a variety of shades and hues. Ranging from a deep black to red to even albino, the coloration of cannabis is a beauty to behold. But, where do these colors come from? Can the herb really produce bright coloration? Is pink cannabis even a thing? Here are the details.

While there are certainly a lot of photoshopped marijuana images out there, the herb does, in fact, produce some pink coloration. Conveniently, many of the strains that turn a little rosy have all contain the word “pink” in their names. Some of these include: Pink Berry, Pink Candy, Pink Mango, Pink Kush, and Pink Panties.

However, marijuana strains express pink coloration in a few different ways. In some strains, like Pink Berry, the calyxes themselves are pink in color.

In other strains, only the pistils turn bright pink. In more strains still, fan leaves and sugar leaves can develop pink and purple tones.

There are two primary reasons why marijuana turns pink: genetics and environment. At a certain level, a plant’s genetics will determine whether or not it has the ability to develop darker coloration at all.

However, it is in large part due to the interaction between the plant’s genetics and the environment that determines when and if that coloration expresses.

The reds, pinks, purples, and blues found in marijuana are produced by anthocyanins, which are pigment molecules that plants produce. There are a few theories as to why some plants produce these pigments.

Some evidence suggests that the purple coloration may be a kind of antifreeze, protecting plants from cooler climates. There is also evidence that hints that the dark coloration is a way plants protect themselves from intense UV exposure as they age.